mostlygray:F you sir. For some of us, it's not easy. Offer encouragement, not criticism.

Well, if you want encouragement, lab-style experiments on humans have shown that someone severely overweight can run a crash diet of nothing but vitamins (the thing your body can't get from burning fat) and water for up to a couple weeks without actual ill effect until you start actually running out of body fat to burn.

It was also discovered that literally every single test subject, despite the extremely good results, found this ridiculously unpleasant.

So consider that there's always a theoretically less pleasant alternative to calorie counting, exercise, and self control. That may keep your whinging to a minimum, at least.

Well, the excessive vegetables can still make you fat. Sure, it's better than excessive candy, but the basic principles are the same.Or, if you just mean you "love" the vegatables regularly, excessively, and vigorously, well talk about TMI.

mostlygray:F you sir. For some of us, it's not easy. Offer encouragement, not criticism.

/20 lbs down and counting...

In all seriousness, good for you. People who actually give a crap about their body get the encouragement you're looking for. People who give up and resort to acceptance and writing whiny blog posts get criticism.

Sleeping Monkey:It's all fun and games celebrating obesity until you try to defend your country with the marshmallow brigade.

To die is to be a counterfeit, for he is but the counterfeit ofa man who hath not the life of a man; but to counterfeit dying,when a man thereby liveth, is to be no counterfeit, but the trueand perfect image of life indeed. The better part of valor isdiscretion, in the which better part I have sav'd my life.Henry The Fourth, Part 1 Act 5, scene 4, 115-121

machoprogrammer:Just think, if we can convince heart disease and diabetes that being fat is now normal, we will be in great shape! I have no sympathy for fat people, as anyone can lose weight. Calories in - Calories out. If that is negative, weight loss. Instead of fries, eat vegetables. Instead of soda, drink water. You will lose weight.

Likewise, anyone can be monogamous, anyone can remain a virgin until marriage, anyone can learn quantum mechanics, anyone can speak foreign languages, and anyone can build a house. Glad we cleared that up.

I'm glad staying thin is easy for you (seriously). Some of the things on this list are easy for me, but losing weight is not among them, unfortunately.

babysealclubber:IlGreven: Sleeping Monkey: Normalizing obesityhomosexuality in our society does far more harm than good. It should never be seen as acceptable to be fatgay. You aren't born fatgay, you become fat through sloth and poor dietary choicessin and temptation. It's good to have self-esteem, but put down the soda and go for a walkget a good woman like your mother would want you to.

serial_crusher:astoreth: serial_crusher: MOST OF ALL, this picture is for me. For the girl who hated her body so much she took extreme measures to try to change it.

What kind of "extreme measures" did she take exactly, and why did she jump to the extreme measures instead of just maybe not eating so much, and going to the gym once in a while.

Because it doesn't work for everyone. I have overweight runner friends who have completed marathons and eat right, and they never lose the weight. Some people are going to be pudgy no matter what, just like some people can wolf down all the junk and pizza they like, never exercise, and still be skinny as rails.

It is worth questioning how fast they're finishing those marathons. I usually don't dwell on time or PRs, because the important part of running is that you're having fun; but if your goal is to lose weight, an 8 hour marathon isn't really going to do much in terms of achieving that goal.

Seriously? THEY HAVE RUN MARATHONS. Plural. Their goal is not to lose weight, it is to RUN MARATHONS. I'm pretty sure they've come in under 5 hours, but still. Jebus, how many skinny people do you know can do that? Hell, I know even more normal-sized folks who eat crap and can't muster a 5k, but no one would give them shiat for being "unhealthy."

She must have that disease that causes her to gain weight even when she burns more calories than she takes in. You know, that thing that causes the rules of thermodynamics not to apply to you. What was it...oh right, bullshiat.

Being fat is a choice. It's a choice you the right to make, but don't expect people to overlook the fact you are physically unattractive with poor impulse control.

StreetlightInTheGhetto:And I'd like my health insurer to adjust rates for smokers, people who eat microwave popcorn or anyone who has (unless it's just kernels in a brown paper bag maybe with a bit of oil, then you get a bonus discount because you're not a total idiot), anyone who eats at a fast food restaurant more than once a week, inactive people (skinny or not, since slightly overweight but active people are healthier than skinny inactive people), anyone who lives near a coal power plant, anyone who has attended a rave or a Phish concert in the past, bikers who commute while inhaling exhaust, anyone who honestly liked that Friday song because your stupidity means you're more likely to get in an accident that I have to subsidize...

Smokers already pay a higher rate.

Microwave popcorn and fast food are covered by charging overweight people more, which actually some insurers have started doing.

Bikers are statistically a lower risk for most things health insurance covers, so that would be dumb.

People that actually caught something at that rave have a pre-existing condition that's not covered.

People that liked the Friday song are all on dependent insurance anyhow because they're 12 and that's required by law (at least in the US) so not much you can do about it.

So... given that all of your concerns are either stupid, legally impossible, already in effect, or put into effect by raising premiums on fatties, I guess I can count your vote as in favor of the fattie tax, then?

Prevailing Wind:Wouldn't it be nice to go on a run? go dancing? walk up stairs without feeling as if you want to die? be able to put on socks without grunting? not have back pain, neck pain, and sore feet?

Not all people who look fat are so out of shape they can't participate in normal activity without causing themselves discomfort.

Incontinent_dog_and_monkey_rodeo:I'm figuring we're 5-10 years away from the end of obesity. Not through education or exercise, but through dietary changes as companies find ways to make cheap foods that are good for you and actually taste good. Very few fat people choose food that is bad for them when they have a good for them alternative that costs and tastes the same. The problem up until now has been taste and mouth feel.

So what about the schoolkids getting free fruits and veggies and still throwing them away? People have been programmed to like the shiat, with the help of natural craving for sugar and salt.

abhorrent1:This picture is for all the f****** stupid advertising agents who are selling us cream to get rid of our stretch marks, a perfectly normal thing most people have (I got mine during puberty)

Um, no. Most people do not have them. Only fatties and women who have had babies. Not 9-11 year-olds.

I have them. Not as dark, and not on my belly, but I have stretch marks on my hips and inner thighs and lower back, which I didn't even know could get fat. When I went through puberty I was chubby, but the stretch marks around my hips and lower back are all because of a growth spurt and my hips going from a girl's hips to a woman's hips. In the past 16 years they've certainly faded to almost nothing, but they're there. My partner has stretch marks on his ass and he's only 140# with hardly an ounce of fat on him.

blahpers:If you hate yourself, that's your brain telling you to do better.

People die because they have this outlook.

LOLWUT. Aside from age, accident or disease, people die because they give up. By throwing all that self-loathing out the window (publicly, anyway) and declaring victory, this chick just shortened her maximum lifespan by a good 20-30 years. There's a very tiny number of workaholics who die because they went too far past the fine line between tough and crazy, but it's news when it happens.

The mind is hard-wired to crave improvement. When you improve you experience all sorts of gooshey-hormone rushes. When you stagnate, you experience boredom and depression. Five'll get you ten despite this public display of denial, she's still crying herself to sleep at night. No one here is saying she needs to be a supermodel, but is anyone seriously claiming (assuming her goal is to be thin) that's the very best she can do? I'd be genuinely happy if she's able to turn that vicious cycle around, but her publicity stunt is overwhelming evidence there's no hope of that. Her brain will still know that she's not had some meaningful epiphany; she's just given up.

I'm sure there are assholes out there who love nothing more than making people feel bad, but when people reach this state, the assholes are indistinguishable from those who are genuinely trying to help. Her "none of your ******* business" is a clear statement she's just shut out all feedback, good and bad. Where do you think she goes from here?

abhorrent1:This picture is for all the f****** stupid advertising agents who are selling us cream to get rid of our stretch marks, a perfectly normal thing most people have (I got mine during puberty)

Um, no. Most people do not have them. Only fatties and women who have had babies. Not 9-11 year-olds.

Actually, it's not at all uncommon. I don't know if most get them or not, but a lot of people do, especially during puberty. As a healthy young male playing and reffing soccer (meant running for 16+ hours a week, up to 8 hours on Saturdays), I went through a growth spurt so bad I ended up with stretch marks on the inside of my upper arms and the sides of my upper torso, just from muscle gain w/o strength training. I believe it's more common on legs though as they grow, but can happen anywhere. These can fade on their own (mine faded 5-8 years later), but not necessarily.

Now go away, the adults are talking.

Oh, and you sound lonely.

/Almost made a completely reasoned post, but hopefully I brought it back to thread standards there at the end

Why is this news? There are fat girls posting pictures of themselves on the internet all the time.Oh because she's standing up to some oppressive regime that finds excessive body fat unattractive? Boo hoo.

I'm sure she is a great person underneath all that blubber... but has she tried diet and exercise? There is a reason its unattractive.. its unhealthy.

pivazena:abhorrent1: This picture is for all the f****** stupid advertising agents who are selling us cream to get rid of our stretch marks, a perfectly normal thing most people have (I got mine during puberty)

Um, no. Most people do not have them. Only fatties and women who have had babies. Not 9-11 year-olds.

I have them. Not as dark, and not on my belly, but I have stretch marks on my hips and inner thighs and lower back, which I didn't even know could get fat. When I went through puberty I was chubby, but the stretch marks around my hips and lower back are all because of a growth spurt and my hips going from a girl's hips to a woman's hips. In the past 16 years they've certainly faded to almost nothing, but they're there. My partner has stretch marks on his ass and he's only 140# with hardly an ounce of fat on him.

I've had them since I was 13 and I've never even been chubby. They're on my shoulders and inner thighs from puberty/weight training. I feel for people who have them cause there is no stopping or getting rid of them.

FilmBELOH20:karmachameleon: serial_crusher: Fear_and_Loathing: She is within the norm for women. Horrors!

Just because being overweight has become the norm doesn't mean it should be celebrated.

It also shouldn't be condemned.

The problem with today's society is that too many people conflate their personal choices with morally righteous choices for everyone else. Fark off, in all seriousness. The world would be a much nicer place if people would just mind their own goddamned business.

OK, fair enough. Question for you though.... What are your thoughts on universal health care? I've got no problem whatsoever paying more in taxes so that those who can't help themselves can get help. But along your lines of me minding my own business, doesn't it become my business when I have to pay for bad behavior and habits? Why should my tax dollars go to help a Type II Diabetic who is only that way because they can't put down the donuts? Why should I be forced to help pay for lung cancer treatments for a smoker?

"Society" is defined as a relationship with one's fellows. It's our job as a society to take care of one another, not celebrate or encourage bad choices and behavior. Certainly people shouldn't be bullied for whatever issue they may have, but the line above is brilliant - it shouldn't be celebrated in the name of self-esteem. It's like the kids playing sports today in leagues where they don't keep score or declare winners and losers. Sooner or later that's going to come back and bite the kids in the ass when they get in to the real world.

Why? Do employers choose applicants on the basis of how good-looking they are, or whether they might dip into their corporate health care?

I'm not going to pat someone on the back and celebrate them for smoking a pack a day so why would I do the same with someone who's obese? Sure, mocking people for being fat is cruel and not actually helpful, but just because the mockers are fools and assholes doesn't mean you're totally okay.

America's obesity epidemic isn't just the result of people driving their cars a block to buy 104oz sodas, its also the inevitable result of a government that subsidizes the fattiest, crappiest food available, and corn; lots and lots of corn. Solving the problem will take a lot more than just making fun of fat chicks, we need to elect leaders who aren't beholden to the companies that produce this junk, so they stop getting subsidized, so the cheapest food available isn't 2000 calories a serving.

astoreth:serial_crusher: astoreth: serial_crusher: MOST OF ALL, this picture is for me. For the girl who hated her body so much she took extreme measures to try to change it.

What kind of "extreme measures" did she take exactly, and why did she jump to the extreme measures instead of just maybe not eating so much, and going to the gym once in a while.

Because it doesn't work for everyone. I have overweight runner friends who have completed marathons and eat right, and they never lose the weight. Some people are going to be pudgy no matter what, just like some people can wolf down all the junk and pizza they like, never exercise, and still be skinny as rails.

It is worth questioning how fast they're finishing those marathons. I usually don't dwell on time or PRs, because the important part of running is that you're having fun; but if your goal is to lose weight, an 8 hour marathon isn't really going to do much in terms of achieving that goal.

Seriously? THEY HAVE RUN MARATHONS. Plural. Their goal is not to lose weight, it is to RUN MARATHONS. I'm pretty sure they've come in under 5 hours, but still. Jebus, how many skinny people do you know can do that? Hell, I know even more normal-sized folks who eat crap and can't muster a 5k, but no one would give them shiat for being "unhealthy."

Have you ever been to a marathon? I can count on one hand the number of overweight people I have seen finish with reasonable time. You can't use the exceptions as your basis that being overweight is perfectly fine and do not end up as a burden on society.

astoreth:serial_crusher: astoreth: serial_crusher: MOST OF ALL, this picture is for me. For the girl who hated her body so much she took extreme measures to try to change it.

What kind of "extreme measures" did she take exactly, and why did she jump to the extreme measures instead of just maybe not eating so much, and going to the gym once in a while.

Because it doesn't work for everyone. I have overweight runner friends who have completed marathons and eat right, and they never lose the weight. Some people are going to be pudgy no matter what, just like some people can wolf down all the junk and pizza they like, never exercise, and still be skinny as rails.

It is worth questioning how fast they're finishing those marathons. I usually don't dwell on time or PRs, because the important part of running is that you're having fun; but if your goal is to lose weight, an 8 hour marathon isn't really going to do much in terms of achieving that goal.

Seriously? THEY HAVE RUN MARATHONS. Plural. Their goal is not to lose weight, it is to RUN MARATHONS. I'm pretty sure they've come in under 5 hours, but still. Jebus, how many skinny people do you know can do that? Hell, I know even more normal-sized folks who eat crap and can't muster a 5k, but no one would give them shiat for being "unhealthy."

I'm going to go full on ITG here, but marathons are considered short distances in my social circle.There's plenty of overweight ultrarunners, myself included. I'm honest with myself that it's because of my diet, and because losing weight isn't a huge priority. Like your friends, losing weight isn't my goal and it is also hard to lose weight while still maintaining a training schedule, since you need to be mostly calorie neutral during your long runs or you'll bonk.

Thing is, your friends are probably comfortable with their weights. If they are, that's great for them.This isn't the blog post of somebody who's comfortable with her weight. This is the bog post of somebody who wants to be comfortable with her weight, because she sees that as an easier way out than working hard.

Trillian Astra:Prevailing Wind: Wouldn't it be nice to go on a run? go dancing? walk up stairs without feeling as if you want to die? be able to put on socks without grunting? not have back pain, neck pain, and sore feet?

Not all people who look fat are so out of shape they can't participate in normal activity without causing themselves discomfort.

Well, to parse your statement, you said "look fat". I understand your distinction there and lets go ahead and say that it IS a distinction. My line of inquiries are directed to those who ARE fat. If they are fat they will likely have some difficulty with all of those items. It will be a matter of degree depending upon their overall health, muscle to weight ratio, flexibility, age, and bmi, but to quote a great man, their condition is simply "not optimal."

You're the jerk... jerk:Have you ever been to a marathon? I can count on one hand the number of overweight people I have seen finish with reasonable time. You can't use the exceptions as your basis that being overweight is perfectly fine and do not end up as a burden on society.

I'm with you -- I've rarely seen a markedly overweight person finish a marathon, much less in a reasonable time. And 5 hours isn't a reasonable time...it's slightly faster than a walking pace. I'll be impressed when one of them breaks the 3 hour mark.

Kit Fister:serial_crusher: Fear_and_Loathing: She is within the norm for women. Horrors!

Just because being overweight has become the norm doesn't mean it should be celebrated.

Paging studman69, studman69 to thread 7396184...

/fark you. Takes all kinds to make up the world//Not everyone finds a bag of antlers attractive.

She's obese. There's a lot of room between her and a "bag of antlers". Many beautiful, not too skinny girls in between those two extremes.

And her diatribe about it being "her business" and not anyone else's was contradicted by her once she started posting pics of herself in underwear in public places. By doing that, and adding a diatribe meant to be read by everyone, she herself made her obesity other peoples business. Attention whores come in all sizes.

Sleeping Monkey:America's obesity epidemic isn't just the result of people driving their cars a block to buy 104oz sodas, its also the inevitable result of a government that subsidizes the fattiest, crappiest food available, and corn; lots and lots of corn. Solving the problem will take a lot more than just making fun of fat chicks, we need to elect leaders who aren't beholden to the companies that produce this junk, so they stop getting subsidized, so the cheapest food available isn't 2000 calories a serving.

Shhhh...you're making too much sense. Everyone's having too much fun being judgmental.

Oafmeel:When he tried the same act on me, I told him with a straight face that (a) weight and physical form aren't character flaws,

Oh, yes they most certainly are.

Being fat (not a few pounds overweight, but fat or obese) is 100% a character flaw. It is disrespectful to your own self to allow your body to become unhealthy/grotesque. You body is a gift, you only have one, so to let yourself become fat/obese/unhealthy is a character flaw. Frankly, I see really obese people as mentally ill.

Granted, its not like we all don't have character flaws, but being fat is an obvious one and says something about the person, namely they don't have self control and don't care enough about the most precious possession a person can have to put the fork down and take care of themselves properly. This effects other aspect of their life, including personal relationships with others.

One of my character flaws is I can be an asshole, but I can shut that off if I want. Fatties? No so much.

Litig8r:You're the jerk... jerk: Have you ever been to a marathon? I can count on one hand the number of overweight people I have seen finish with reasonable time. You can't use the exceptions as your basis that being overweight is perfectly fine and do not end up as a burden on society.

I'm with you -- I've rarely seen a markedly overweight person finish a marathon, much less in a reasonable time. And 5 hours isn't a reasonable time...it's slightly faster than a walking pace. I'll be impressed when one of them breaks the 3 hour mark.

I think anything under 4 hours is respectable. Sub 3 hours and you've qualified for Boston in any age and gender group.

astoreth:Because it doesn't work for everyone. I have overweight runner friends who have completed marathons and eat right, and they never lose the weight. Some people are going to be pudgy no matter what, just like some people can wolf down all the junk and pizza they like, never exercise, and still be skinny as rails.

So your friends violate the laws of thermodynamics? You should tell a scientist so they can study them and we can fix our oil dependency.

Sleeping Monkey:America's obesity epidemic isn't just the result of people driving their cars a block to buy 104oz sodas, its also the inevitable result of a government that subsidizes the fattiest, crappiest food available, and corn; lots and lots of corn. Solving the problem will take a lot more than just making fun of fat chicks, we need to elect leaders who aren't beholden to the companies that produce this junk, so they stop getting subsidized, so the cheapest food available isn't 2000 calories a serving.

All the cheapo farmers markets where I live in Florida take EBT, but you rarely see anyone there using it. Walmart while having a lot of instant quick food, does have plenty of inexpensive vegetables, be it frozen, canned, or fresh. Yet if you follow someone around the store they never seem to by them. They buy bags of prebattered chicken wings, eggos, steaks, and tv dinners. Which cost more than buying fresh food than cooking it themselves.